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BEIJING, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- The South China Sea issue is the business of China and other directly concerned countries, which have agreed to focus on joint development and regional peace and stability, said a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman on Tuesday in response to the new U.S. administration's intended interference.
Lu Kang clarified China's stance in an interview in Beijing with NBC News. The interview came after Whited House press secretary Sean Spicer said the United States would stand up to China on the South China Sea issue, vowing "that we defend international territories from being taken over by one country."
"That's not international territories, that's Chinese territories," Lu told NBC News.
While reiterating China's sovereignty and admitting its awareness of controversies concerning some islands that only began in the mid-1970s, Lu said countries in the region have reached agreements on how to handle disputes in a way to "serve the common interests, of both China and all the other countries in this region."
"Countries have already come back to the original agreement that maybe for the time being we could set aside those sovereign disputes, and focus on some joint developments, and working together to maintain the peace and stability in this region," he said.
While stressing that any dispute is between China and those directly concerned countries, Lu also expressed China's hope for the United States or any other country from outside to respect the common wish and the common interests in this region.
Read the full story at Xinhua